Nader Saleh Mamdouh Sadqa (born 1977) is a Palestinian prisoner from the Samaritan Jewish sect. He is considered a unique case among Palestinian detainees, as he was the only member of this religious minority held in Israeli prisons more than 20 years until his release in 2025 by a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Nader Sadqa was born in 1977 on the slopes of Mount Gerizim, in the city of Nablus, northern West Bank, to the Samaritan community [5] [6] [7] He received his education in Nablus schools before enrolling at An-Najah National University, where he studied history and archaeology. [8] [5] [9] [6] During his studies, he became active in student politics through the Progressive Student Labor Front, affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) [5] [6]
With the outbreak of the Second Intifada (Al-Aqsa Intifada) in 2000, Sadqa left his studies and joined the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the PFLP, where he became one of its leaders [6] [5] . He was attributed with participating in armed operations against Israeli targets, most notably a 2003 attack in the city of Petah Tikva (historically known as the village of Mlabbas), in which four Israeli soldiers were killed [5] [6] . Following the assassination of several brigade leaders, Sadqa assumed leadership of the brigades in Nablus. [5] [10]
On 17 August 2004, at the age of 27, Sadqa was arrested by Israeli forces in the Al-Ain refugee camp, located west of Nablus. [9] [5] [11] He was sentenced to six life sentences, in addition to additional years based on charges related to resistance activities and planning operations against Israeli targets. Despite repeated attempts by Palestinian factions—most notably Hamas—to secure his release, Israeli authorities consistently refused to include him in prisoner exchange deals, reportedly due to his religious affiliation. [5] [11] [10] . By 2025, he had entered his 22nd year in Israeli prisons until his release on 14 October 2025, as part of a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel, under the condition of deportation to Egypt. [12] [9] [11] [13]